Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw (Blue) | Brouwerij Het Anker

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Reviews by roywilliams:

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Appearance - Dark, reddish-brown in color with a gorgeous head. This one looks serious.

Smell - This is grand cru heaven. The malt base is covered in sweet toffee, caramel, and orange flavors that are big as Mt. Rainier. The brown sugar sweetness is almost palatable on the nose.

Taste - This is perfection. The deep, sweet flavors of brown sugar, orange, liquid toffee, and caramel meld together in an incredible blend. The slightly toasted malt flavors are there as well, but this is all about that sticky, sweet taste of sugary perfections that is the Belgian Grand Cru. There's also just a hint of alcohol notes to warn of the typically high 10.0 ABV.

The chewy nature of this flavor is complimented by hearty plums, some tobacco, thick, rich apricots, and maybe even some apples. This is sugar at its best.

Mouthfeel - The slight carbonation, in accordance with the style, is complimented by the amazing buttery smoothness of the sugary ingredients.

Drinkability - If you have a sweet tooth and love fine Belgian ales, this is the one for you. God forbid you should be a Grand Cru fan - you HAVE to try this ale.

Comments - The label reads, "Gouden Carolus," over the top and, "Carolus D'or," on the bottom. There's a blue banner with gold writing that looks to be labeled diagonally across the bottle, although it is clearly part of the manufactured label, that reads, "Grand Cru of the Emperor." This is indeed fit for royalty.

Update - I popped a vintage 2000 in 2004. The aroma is even deeper than when it was fresh, but the flavors were washed out a bit. The musty, dirty, cellared flavors though were a delight. Four years is probably too old for this guy; maybe two or three max. It has been my experience that Grand Crus are usually good fresh and almost always peak at a year or two in the cellar.

Update - I had a 2005 at the end of the 2005 year. I'm convinced that this brew should not be cellared.

Fresh this is absolutely incredible! It's really one of the best beers that I've ever had. It represents exactly to me what I think of when hearing the term "grand cru". It's thick yet super sweet. It is incredibly complex. It melts in your mouth. It makes you feel like a king.

Update - I had a 2010 in 2010 just to test my theory that Grand Crus are really just cellared BSDAs and I think I proved my point. This is smooth, well-aged, with even some musty characters, and is incredibly drinkable after just a few months in the bottle.

S: A luxurious raisin-brown body sits beneath a beige head that builds, then dies. Some soapish suds hang around, plus a round bubble-peninsula formed on one side of the goblet.

A: A date-lover’s dream. Rich aroma of dark fruit, fig, dates. Plums. Subtle spicy phenols, and tell-tale fruity yeast esters (plus a small hint of bubblegum). A bouquet fit for a king (or an emperor). The hops here are quite muted at the outset. The alcohol too, is well integrated into the beer, as I can’t detect from sniffing this beauty that it’s 11% abv.

T: Oh. My. God. Dark notes of molasses, Belgian candi-sugar, bittersweet chocolate. Fruit overtures of… is that raspberry? A slightly tart and medicinal cherry. Plums. Dates and figs bow to the tongue. This guy also contains port notes (not to be confused with Portnoy- an emperor in his own right). Hey, don’t forget the light impression of leather and tobacco– that one takes a bit to show up, but it’s there. Call me a joker, but I also get a little bit of soy sauce and yeah, I’ll go there- umami. Just a hint of bitterness and astringency, but in a pleasant way.

F: I don’t say this often about mouthfeel, but this beer has it all. It possesses great carbonation, especially on the roof of the mouth. Slick and regal, and at the same time, made deceptively light due to the aforementioned carbonation. It’s got a long finish, and this is where the alcohol is most present. Give it a few seconds. A rampant lion, that booze.

O: This Belgian Strong Dark is more than capable of expanding his empire into your mouth and subjugating your senses. However, this is more of a friendly annexation, not a hostile-takeover. Though I’m not truly an expert (in my head I am), I’d say it’s fair to theorize that an older bottle might have more port, and a younger bottle feel a bit hotter in the alcohol department. 4 years? Perfect. Though this is not Chimay Grand Reserve, this is truly a regal libation.

From a 750 ml brown bottle, corked and caged. 2002. Cellared at 60F. The label reads 8% alc by volume (although it may actually be a bit stronger).

The Grand Cru of the Emperor (Charles V) pours a clear dark chestnut brown body with ruby highlights beneath a frothy head of ivory foam that holds exceptionally well and leaves very nice, wide sheets of thin Brussels lace. Very nice!!!

The nose entices you to partake with notes of toffee; darkened brown sugar; sweet, crusty, honey-glazed bread; some dark fruit (mainly raisins); brandy; and a quick spritz of orange.

In the mouth it's delicately zesty on the tongue, and then quite creamy with a very fine, natural-carbonation and medium body.

The flavor offers a briliant, sugary mix of raisins and rich toffee with a hint of orange-chocolate in the background. The yeast also tosses in some mild bubblegum-like phenolics (sugar and clove-like spice) that turns it a touch candyish. Some herbal hops appear at the swallow and lend it an earthy, mineralish edge that helps to round out its candyish character. The bitterness is a touch limited as might be expected, but it punches through the malt midway, and there's enough there to keep it from becoming cloying in the long-lingering finish. The alcohol appears once it warms a bit, but keeps to the wings (except in the finish); and it actually adds a touch of spiciness that's welcome against the candyish malt.

Tasted side by side with a bottle of the Classic Carolus, this is clearly just a bumped up version of the standard that might include better malts (perhaps some Munch malts) and a longer, cooler fermentation and maturation period. They are very much the same beer, but this one is much more nicely done. It's thoroughly enjoyable, and as it can age at least 3 years, I'd highly suggests you grab a few bottles and pull one out during special occassions each year. I can easily see this working with a Thanksgiving dinner (before, during, or after), or as a toasting beer during the holiday season. It will work with numerous food pairings, including glazed pork chops, BBQ ribs, and char-grilled steak. Highly recommended!

I was checking out beers in my local beer store and decided not to buy anything unless it jumped out at me. Then I saw this. Been on a Belgian kick lately so here we go.
A - Pours a dark brown with 1 finger head of tight little bubbles. In the light you get amber around the edges.
A - Aroma is raisins or figs.
T - Flavor is - wonderful. Sweet, dark fruit, raisiny, with a little bite of alcohol.
M - Quite carbonated, medium body.
O - Wow, I really like this. Definitely going back to buy a few more. Outstanding! Whenever I have a beer like this I wonder why I drink anything else.

Dark for the style. Decent, tight head. Clings to the glass after the head dissipates. Smells of malt, caramel. A little yeasty, a hint of coffee. Taste is pretty incredible. Sweet and malty. Getting some raisins and dates, caramel continues from the nose. Very nicely carbonated, coats the tongue.

This is an awesome beer that should be on everyone's list to try. Seeing other recent reviews, I guess I should get another and let it age? Where's my car keys?

2007 vintage! 1 pint 9.4 fl oz brown glass bottle with hood and wire cap over a cork served into a Uinta brewing pilsner glass (it was all that was available) in me gaff in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are very high given the brewery and style. I'm hoping it beats Chimay Blue.

Served after a rest period from the refrigerator. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a 1.5 finger khaki colour head of nice cream, good thickness, and excellent retention for the high ABV. Colour is a very dark yet vibrant and evocative brown. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Nontransparent. Opaque.

T: Great cream throughout, with plum, wine grape, and other indistinct fruit notes. The gentle malt backbone lends it body but doesn't intrude on the flavour. Hops are floral if present; no bitterness comes through at all. Nor does any alcohol, which is quite a feat at this ABV. Some nectar on the back end. It's nicely yeasty, which I think helps complement those fruit notes. Some raisin here and there. It's not as winey as suggested by the aroma but still maintains that distinct character, especially on the climax. Tinges of caramelization help keep it interesting. It's full of surprises, and boasts an impressive depth of flavour as well as an interesting complexity. Quite subtle. It's brought off quite well; I adore it. A touch too acidic.

Mf: Just enough cream. Smooth and wet, aiding the drinkability. Supports the flavours without intruding upon them. Good (though fairly high) thickness. It can feel a bit viscous at times, but overall it's quite alright. It could use a touch more coarseness, but I'm nitpicking. Carbonation is near perfect; it drinks well now - even after five years.

Dr: I think the age likely did it well. Maybe one more year and it'd peak. Very drinkable for its incredibly well concealed ABV. I'd definitely get this again. Worth picking up some bottles for the cellar as well. A fantastic beer in the style, giving even Chimay Blue a run for its money in my book. Indeed, I think I prefer this one. And it isn't even priced all that highly for its quality. This is something of an overlooked treasure. I'd definitely recommend it to friends. One thing that does bother me is the proliferation of grapey notes, which can tip the balance of the flavour off at times.

A perennial favorite beer since arriving on locals shelves a few years ago. I am always taken back and question why my refrigerator isn't stocked with the beer.

The beer opens with a highly carbonated pour that allows a 1/3 pour before the foam breaches the top of the chalice. The first pour from the 750 delivers nearly perfect clarity and aggressive effervescence. Subsequent pours bring much more haze (from bottle conditioning) and lightened carbonation. A lightly tanned foamstand carries sprinkles of spices and yeast while taking on an airy and loosely-knit appearance.

Flavors, like the aroma, show aggressive fruitiness up front and ultimately dominate the beer. While pilsner malts provide the slightest of foundations for flavor, the candi-sugars have as much (maybe more) of an impact than do the softer grains. Fruitcake flavors, spices, and a alcoholic, rum-like flavor balances out the fruity esters and spicy phenols and give another layer of complexity. Finishes with some residual sugar flavors on the tongue that at times resemble cola.

The textures straddle the fence of dry and drinkable vs. sugary and mouth coating. Alcohols and well attenuated maltiness ultimately drive the beer into a dry finish with light residual sweetness left on the palate. Otherwise, full, rich, and expansive because of the onslaught of carbonation and sweetness.

The first pour from the bomber brings cleaner fruit flavors with a less muddled character; however it may lack richness and complexity. Later pours bring a deeper, maltier flavor from the sediment in the bottle, and left the beer less dry and palatable. I prefer the later pours after the sediment had been aroused. As for Strong Dark Belgian Ales, this beer applies a very fruit-driven signature rather than a malt-forward base as do most.

I'm completely baffled by this beer. It looks beautiful; a lovely cola brown with a thick, slightly off-white head. Smells great, with strong plum and yeast ester notes. The mouthfeel was creamy and dense, if a bit undercarbonated. That's the good.

Then there's the taste. I'm familiar with Belgian ales and their peculiarities and eccentricities—I realize they're not all for everyone. But this was just… syrup. I can't recall ever having a beer that was this cloyingly, overpoweringly, nauseatingly sweet. There was no balance or nuance whatsoever; it was like, I don't know, a Myers and Dr. Pepper with five teaspoons of sugar? A Flanders Red and corn syrup cocktail?

I don't know if this was an off bottle, but my GOD was this awful. Huge disappointment; I can't imagine ever drinking this again.

A: The beer pours a dark amber, leaving a thin head that quickly dissolves. Very minimal lacing.

S: The beer is overwhelmingly dominated by the smell of bananas and caramel; also, lots of spices which I can't quite distinguish.

T: I'm experiencing a very strong maple taste that I don't particularly enjoy. The high alcohol content is very evident and the spices are overwhelming any other taste in this beer. I have to admit, this is probably the sweetest beer I've ever had.

M: The beer is medium bodied and coats the mouth well, but because I didn't particularly enjoy the taste, it's not really a beer I plan to sip.

D: I'll probably never try this beer again. In my estimation, the beer is overspiced and way too sweet. Some, however, may enjoy these qualities and would appreciate the beer more than do I.

750 ml bottle in snifter glass at 1 year and 4 months
A: sudsy subtle 1 finger head, deep brown almost opaque with subtle hints of ruby
S: instant pilsner malt, some thick chocolate richness and dark fruit, full and sweet
T: wow this beer is sweet, I mean not even a hint of hoppy bitterness, caramel malts and a lighter bodied chocolate dominate this beer, but there's a bit of that pilsner malt that hangs around and is odd but not off putting, some cherry notes come in and marry with the caramel malts and add a tartness to the sweet
M: a bit dry but not too dry, pleasant, the sweetness in the taste distracts from the dryness in a way that I wish it did not
O: quite pleasant, but too sweet for me, I think the prominence of the pilsner malts is a nice and interesting touch, would be a great introduction to belgian strong dark ales, very accessible, but suitably complex, not my favorite, but not bad, will age some in hopes that the sweetness will dissipate some

Observation made later, after this original review: I CAN'T LIE TO MYSELF ANYMORE, THIS IS NOT A GOOD BEER, IT IS UNBEARABLY SWEET

Vintage 2013. I think (and hope) this one will improve with age. Not to say it was an awful beer. (It's mainly because I have 3 more and generally get a kick out of the fact that you can age a beer).

Semi-opaque, wine-dark brown. Nearly black. As I drink it and look down, brightens nearly to bronze or sienna. Foamy, medium-retention head. Film forming and quite lacy. Aromatically, it's boozy sweetness, light banana and other esters, spicy phenols, roasted malts. Together, very much like balsamic vinegar. Tastes a bit too estery for my normal drinking palate, but that's okay since this beer is meant to be sipped. Good opportunity to pair it with something that will make it seem less sweet. Other than that, it's pretty much all malt. Alcohol is mostly blended with esters and there is no hop-character or even spice to speak of. Plenty of carbonation, but gentle and smooth drinking. Thick, a little chewy. ABV and sweetness make for a wet finish, with a little bit of that warming/tingling sensation, and a slight burn going down. In the mouth, overall, it's like cola syrup with rum and tonic water.

A: 4.5 Pours a slightly hazy, reddish-brown. The large khaki head lasts a few minutes and leaves lots of lace in the glass.

S: 4.25 Smells a bit oxidized at first – musty basement and a bit of cardboard. Caramel, vanilla, and raisins come through as the beer warms. As does the Belgian yeast with lots of phenols and spice.

T: 4.5 Starts off rather sweet but tons of flavor to balance it out. Toffee, raisins, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, and clove are right up front with a bit of ground coffee, dark chocolate, and mild oxidized flavors in the background. Just a hint of booziness and bitterness lingering on the finish.

M: 4.75 Really terrific feeling beer with just the right amount of carbonation. Quite drinkable considering the abv and how much flavor there is; I think the slightly dry finish helps in this regard.

O: 4.5 Pretty great Belgian strong ale. Up there with some of the best quads.

I consider this one of my favorite sipping beers. The Belgians have been brewing beer for hundreds of years and I think they nailed this one for a BSDA. I totally understand why they call this the "Grand Cru of the Emperor". This heavy bodied beer pours a dark ruby red with a fine frothy head. It has a complex taste of caramelized malts, raisins and figs come to mind, maybe a little cardamon with a pinch of allspice. This beer/wine is intended to be drunk at around 52 to 54 degrees F. I know we Americans like ice cold beer but this really goes down good at that temperature. I honestly can't get enough of this beer. My hats off to Charles Leclef of the Van Breedam family for introducing this beer in 1999. Thanks Charlie, keep it com'en.

I had to take a $20 cab ride and spend another $20 bucks to get this beer, so I was anticipating something special.

A - Beautiful amber body with small brown head and decent lacing.
S - Sweet yeast, molasses and iodine.
T - Extremely sweet, flabby with no balancing acidity or bitterness. This malty soup of sweetness is a desert. Divided among four beer drinkers, the bottle went unfinished.
M - Minimal carbonation, fat with unbalanced sugars.
D - I cant abide by this unbalanced sweetness. This beer is to sweetness as Stone's Ruination is to bitterness. Only times two.

This beer pours a deep, opaque brown with a small, light tan head with decent retention. Nice lacing. The nose is caramel, molasses, mascerated cherries, and malt/wort — with a hint of homemade marshmallow. The flavor is deep and complex. Sweet, caramel malt flavors, cherries, with some more bitter bourbon notes towards the finish. The mouthfeel is rich and silky. Really extravagant with very mild carbonation and a slightly dry finish. This beer really is exquisite and should be savored. Try it!

Appearance: Loads of smoke when I popped the cork on this one. Pots a deep brown with one finger off white head. Very lively, and noisy, carbonation. Loads of lacing being left on the glass. Looks very nice served from the 750ml corked bottle into the correct, gold rimmed, glass.

Aroma: Tobacco, dried dark fruits. Smells a little musty. Dark malts and burnt toffee. Can just pick up the alcohol but it's not overpowering considering the ABV. Licquorice and all the classic dark Belgian strong ale aromas.

Taste: WOW! Very complex and an absolutely huge finish. Very sweet malt upfront, then a huge hit of yeast flavour and then strong liquorice, dark fruits and alcohol. The finish is phenomenal and goes on evolving forever. It's a difficult one to describe as there is so much going on and it's all good. I’m also getting black treacle, demarara sugar and golden syrup (sounds sickly, and while it is sweet, it is not overly sweet like some). Reminds me of a nice port wine, but with the added bonus of all of the above flavours.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, just the right amount of carbonation. Perfect for the style.

Overall: This is an extreme beer from Belgium, its very strong, very dark and very complex. This bottle is two years old and tastes absolutely fantastic but I can tell that any younger and it would be too harsh. This is one of those beers that needs time to soften and is then going to get better and better. Looking forward to sampling this again at 5 years old. For now though, this is the best beer I've had in a long time. 10/10.

Bottle (7/2014) :
Beer pours what I am guessing is a ruby-brown (dark bar). Head is foamy and lasts, although there are some rather large bubbles produced as well. Lacing is medium light, some alcohol lines present.

The nose almost makes me think brandy or port, dark cherry, raisin, caramel, toffee, maybe a hint of orange zest. There's also a weird almost musty scent in there as well, but it seems to fit so well to me.

Taste is similar to nose, muted, with raisin and date coming through a bit more than any cherry from the smell. Sweetness is more cola or even birch beer in nature, and again, subdued. Finish is actually a bit carbonated.

The beer has a strange "flatness" to it, which is not representative of the level of carbonation. It's actually rather light despite the darker flavors. The alcohol does come through in some sips, but is mostly well hidden.

I really enjoyed this beer tonight. Maybe it's a situational thing, as I had some salty food earlier, and the dark sweetness of this beer may have balanced that perfectly. Definitely gonna grab this to make sure.

Follow up (4/2015): a little older (but constantly refrigerated) beer showed a little more alcohol in the feel. Still a lovely brew, but with a little more fruit tartness (apricot, peach maybe).

A beer that dont come around often,pours a deep brown with some reddish tints with to be expected a hug rocky head.Aroma is of spiced cherries and alcohol,taste is spices and of dried fruit(cherries) and ginger-like and the alcohol really comes thru as it warms.It would be tough to finish a bottle of this brew but it is very appetizing to say the least.

Appearance: pours with a lingering head. Not obnoxiously so, was able to pour cleanly into the glass.

Smell: smells sugary with a little booziness. Some hints of cloves. Sweet smelling for sure.

Taste: first sip is... Different. A little less sweet and a little more boozy than what others have said. After waiting for a moment, another sip definitely gives that sweet, smooth delicious taste. So good. Wow.

Pours a bubbly dark chestnut, almost mahogany with purple-ruby highlights. Lace is thick, clingy, and with minute yeast particles floating in it.

Smells very yeasty with rum, raisons, fruit bread, toffee, and some licorice. Kind of boozy and quite candy like.

Tastes immediately warming and boozy with a real sweet, candied sugar sensation. Smooth and mellows as you drink it but manages to keep a zesty edge. Toffee, orange-chocolates, sugarcane rum, cloveish spice, and raisons swell into torrents of flavor.

Very drinkable. Strong and boozy yet easy to down. A 750 is gone in minutes.

The flavor is really sweet. From start to finish this one is all about sweetness - toasty malts, caramel, brown sugar, toffee. Notes of vinous fruits, wood, yeast and grass. The finish has some bitterness to it, more sweetness and notes of alcohol, hops and spices.

It has a full body and quite a lot of carbonation, which is welcome here since it lightens the heavy character, if only just a bit.

All in all, a complex, balanced and tasty beer. Due to the sweetness, it gets quite demanding after a while.